Kael woke before dawn the next day, the pale light of the early morning seeping through the cracks in his modest room. The eerie silence that followed the fading of his dream still hung heavy in his mind. The watcher, the one cloaked figure, had followed him throughout the night — always there, a constant shadow in his thoughts.
His hand instinctively went to the mark, the strange symbol that pulsed in a rhythm too familiar. The sensation was stronger now, sharper, like a heartbeat echoing from within. It called to him, pulling him in different directions.
He sat up slowly, his legs swinging over the edge of his bed. His eyes caught sight of the blade resting against the wall — his first and only weapon, a simple short sword given to him by Master Ryden. It was sturdy, but dull with age, and Kael couldn't help but feel it was inadequate for what he was about to face. The weight of the world — his world, at least — was suddenly heavier than ever.
He stood, stretching his arms, and moved toward the small window, gazing out at the village beyond. The village was quiet. Peaceful, almost. But Kael knew better now. The calm was the calm before the storm.
The thought made his chest tighten.
Something was coming. Something that had always been there, hidden in the dark.
Kael took a deep breath and began to prepare. He needed answers, and he couldn't find them standing still.
---
A few hours later, Kael stood outside Master Ryden's training hall, the wind blowing the dust of the village streets around him. He had taken a few steps forward before he realized Nyra was standing beside him, watching the path he was about to take.
"You're not going alone, are you?" Nyra asked, her voice low and cautious.
Kael looked at her for a moment, then nodded. "I need to find out what's going on, Nyra. I can't keep hiding. Not anymore."
Nyra's lips tightened in concern. "I don't like this. Something's not right. You're pushing yourself too hard. Whatever that mark is, it's changing you. You're different, Kael. And people are starting to notice."
Kael could hear the worry in her voice, but his resolve didn't waver. "I don't have a choice. I need to know why it's calling to me."
Before Nyra could respond, a figure approached in the distance. Kael's heart skipped a beat as he recognized the familiar dark cloak.
It was the watcher.
Without a word, the figure stepped forward, slowly revealing its identity. It was neither a man nor a woman, but something in between, with a tall, lean frame and a presence that seemed to distort the air around them. The cloak was ragged, as though it had been worn for years — or decades. A hood covered their face, leaving only a slight silhouette visible.
Kael tensed, instinctively placing his hand on the hilt of his blade. Nyra did the same, stepping into a stance that mirrored Kael's.
"You've been following me," Kael said, his voice steady but with a hint of demand in it. "Why?"
The figure didn't respond immediately, but Kael could feel their gaze, the weight of it pressing down on him. Finally, the figure spoke, their voice calm and cold, like the wind before a storm.
"You're not ready for the answers you seek."
Kael frowned, his grip tightening on his sword. "Then why are you here?"
"You've been marked," the figure continued, their voice echoing in Kael's mind. "By forces older than you know. Forces that have waited for a long time. The mark is your burden to bear, but you will not carry it alone. Your path will cross many others. Some will help you, others will try to stop you."
Kael's heart pounded in his chest. "Who are you? What do you know about the mark?"
The figure didn't answer, but a low, guttural growl emerged from the depths of the hooded figure. The ground beneath Kael's feet trembled for a moment, and then the figure disappeared into the shadows of the trees, vanishing as if they had never been there at all.
Kael stood frozen, his body still as the echo of the figure's presence lingered. He glanced at Nyra, who appeared just as shaken by the encounter. The mysterious words echoed in his head, like a riddle that refused to be solved.
The wind picked up again, blowing the dust across the training grounds, and Kael suddenly realized how alone he felt.
"Did that just happen?" Nyra asked, her voice low, as if she, too, was trying to make sense of the encounter.
"I think it did," Kael replied, his thoughts racing. "But the real question is, what do they know about the mark?"
Nyra didn't have an answer, but the question seemed to hang between them like a shadow, threatening to consume everything in its path.